


heard about all the miles you've gone (just to start again)

by MomentaryEuphoria



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bittersweet Ending, Horror, M/M, Mentions of Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:41:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27284347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MomentaryEuphoria/pseuds/MomentaryEuphoria
Summary: He had no clue how much time had passed when he finally heard the sound of a horn, going up to the edge of the road again to flag it down. The headlights shone through the fog in thick, yellow beams as the car drove through it. Liam was half afraid that it would drive by him, but the black Toyota hummed to a stop in front of him, throwing the night into it's prevailing silence once again.Or, Liam doesn't know what he is in for when he accepts a ride from a stranger
Relationships: Zayn Malik/Liam Payne, Zayn Malik/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 22
Collections: Ziam Halloween Challenge





	heard about all the miles you've gone (just to start again)

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [MomentaryEuphoria](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MomentaryEuphoria/pseuds/MomentaryEuphoria) in the [Ziam2020HalloweenExchange](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Ziam2020HalloweenExchange) collection. 



> Please be careful of the lack of an archive warning! I tried to tag this as inconspicuously as possible, but considering the nature of the plot, I would advise you to take a look at the endnotes. I have included some potential triggers there, if you'd like to be sure.  
> Enjoy!

Liam checked his phone for the umpteenth time. It was almost eight, and he needed to be back in time for dinner. He had already missed the kids' trick or treating as is, and Zayn wasn't very pleased about that. It brought a smile to his face though, the pictures that Zayn had sent him before they had left; Luna posing as Gamora with Zaid in her lap, in his Baby Groot costume and sucking on his pacifier, unbothered. There had been one of Zayn too, his Deadpool mask pulled up, head in his hand with a pleading look on his face as Luna tried to pull out the fake swords from his back and half of her face paint already rubbed off on the various surfaces of the room.  
Help me, the caption had said, followed by ten very dramatic crying face emojis.

He had laughed at that, thinking ruefully back on his carefully crafted Cable costume that he didn't get to wear.

He yearned to be back home; tease Luna and pretend to steal some of her treats, tickle Zaid just to hear his laugh and feel the warmth of Zayn's fond gaze and deliberately place a chaste kiss on his lips to see Luna pull faces and say "Eww" disgustedly. Zayn would laugh, his eyes crinkled up in mischief and then they would kiss again and whisper their ‘I love you’s

The prospect looked bleak though; his car had somehow refused to start and no calls to the repair shops or any help had gone through. So here he was, waiting to hitch a ride back on the most deserted stretch of road he had ever seen. He struggled to even look through the thick dense fog that seemed to engulf everything, bringing his vision down considerably. No wonder no one was driving down this road anyway, when they couldn't see two feet in front of themselves.

He had no clue how much time had passed when he finally heard the sound of a horn, going up to the edge of the road again to flag it down. The headlights shone through the fog in thick, yellow beams as the car drove through it. Liam was half afraid that it would drive by him, but the black Toyota hummed to a stop in front of him, throwing the night into it's prevailing silence once again.

Liam stooped to knock on the window, but the door clicked open. He was confused; he hadn't even said where he was going.  
The car light inside clicked on and he found himself looking at a boy, no older than eighteen at the most by the looks of him staring at him, wide-eyed. He looked like someone he had seen before, something strangely familiar about him like he had seen him years ago. 

He awkwardly waved at the kid. "Hi" when what he actually meant to say "Are you even old enough to drive this thing?" He decided right then to never let his kids near the steering wheel until they were twenty, however stupid it sounded.  
The boy still looked stricken.

"You okay, kid?" Liam asked, concerned, hoping he wasn't this jittery when he was driving. He felt unsure about it; if he wasn’t so desperate to get back, he probably would have waited for another car. But he had no other option.

The boy inhaled sharply, nodded, waving back at him.

"Hi," he spoke up, still dazed, "Do you need help?"  
"Yes, uh... My car broke down, so could you give me a ride back home?" Liam asked, rattling off the address.

"Yeah, sure. I am headed in that direction myself," he said softly.  
Liam smiled in relief. "Thanks, mate."  
A look passed over the boy's face as he leant over to push the door wider for Liam to enter.  
He smiled in acknowledgement as he settled down in the seat, choosing to ignore the way the boy was eyeing his every movement as they drove off.

  
The guy, Liam was pleased to note, had excellent choice in music. He seemed to have the entire Michael Jackson discography on his playlist, and Liam tried not to break out in song along with the music.  
"Great choices," he said at last and the boy broke out in the first genuine smile that he had seen ever since they had met.  
"You like it?" He asked earnestly, eager for his approval, continuing after Liam nodded in agreement, "my A- my father loves them too."  
"Sae as my husband then. He's always singing around the house. We both are, actually. Someday the neighbours are going to ask for us to move out, you know?" Liam laughed.

There was an uncomfortable silence after that, and Liam felt like he had overshared. Or maybe the guy was taken aback by the word husband. Either way, he told himself to be more careful with his words. The boy was a stranger anyway.

"So, you sing too?" The boy cut through the awkwardness, looking at Liam expectantly.  
"Yeah, I mean-"  
"You can sing along if you want, I won't mind." He offered, before Liam could finish.

"How did you-" Liam wanted to ask him.

"You just said your husband and you like to sing and you look like you're enjoying the music, so." The guy shrugged, and that reminded him so much of Zayn that he couldn't help but smile.

"What?" The boy asked, confused.

"Nothing... You just remind me of my husband." Liam explained as the boy's expression became shuttered again. His mood swings were really like a teenager’s.  
The next song came on and Liam started humming and nodding head to the music, finally giving in to his urge to sing along. The boy laughed, but there was admiration in his eyes that Liam didn't miss every time he looked over at Liam.  
"You're really good at this," he said as the song faded out.  
Liam pretended to be offended. "You were expecting me to be horrible, weren't you?"  
"No, no that's not what I meant-" The boy rushed to apologise.  
Liam laughed good-naturedly, slapping his shoulder. "I'm only teasing you." The kid grimaced awkwardly.

"So, what's your name, if you don't mind me asking?" Liam asked after a few moments of silence.

"Luke," he said determinedly, not looking at Liam, too swiftly for his liking.

"Okay, Luke," he said with an emphasis, "I am Liam. And it's good that you don't reveal your name to strangers, your parents have taught you well." He finished with a wink. "Now, don't ask me whether Liam's my real name because I won't tell you."

Luke laughed at that, but made no effort to convince him otherwise.

The guy wasn't a bad driver per se. But he had a strange habit of casting side-long glances when he thought Liam wasn't looking. Liam almost thought about asking him to look at the road, but the roads were empty and they were going at a respectable speed so he thought against it.

"What are you not out trick or treating, Not- Luke?"

"We don't really celebrate Halloween, so." His hands tightened on the steering wheel, jaw clenching. "Besides I am not a child anymore."

"How old are you?" Liam asked.

"Seventeen."

Liam scoffed at that. "Still a kid then."

"No, I am not," Luke insisted incredulously as only a kid would.

"Yes, you are. I mean, you don't stop being a kid until you get to thirty. At least."

Liam laughed at the horrified expression on Luke’s face.

"My kids are tiny now, and they'll always be children to me. You’ll never understand that feeling unless you have kids yourself."

"Y-You have kids?" He stumbled over the words in a hurry to say them.

"Yeah. A girl and a boy," Liam said proudly.

"How old are they?"

"The girl's five and the boy is still a baby. They went trick or treating for the first time today, actually."

"That’s sweet,” Luke continued after a moment’s silence, “What did they go as?”

"My daughter went as Gamora," Liam rolled his eyes fondly. "And she chose her brother's costume too. Baby Groot," Liam laughed. "I would show you pictures but my phone's dead. "

Luke smiled, but didn't say anything.

Outside, the darkness had deepened its hue; the full moon intermittently appearing from behind the clouds only to hide behind them again, casting a delicate silver shimmer over everything it grazed. The trees on the side of the road loomed over them, dense enough to not let any light through.

They carried on their conversation; Luke seemed to be a bright kid, about to go in for his last year of high school. He wanted to focus on art, he said and went on and on about artists that he liked. The only way Liam understood any of it was because they were names that Zayn gushed about too, however there were also names Liam didn't recognise. He smiled encouragingly at Luke; it was really a joy to see people talk about things they loved, especially the young ones, the enthusiasm and hopefulness with which they talked about the future was promise enough.   
He thought about his own kids, and what they'd want to be when they were grown up. Luna had taken after him, he could tell. She never had the patience to sit still, let alone drawing or reading a book, always finding a way to break things around the house in a way that would make Trisha observe that they had had two boys instead of one.  
And little Zaid, it was too early to tell of course. But he hoped he was a bit calmer than his older sibling, or it really meant bad news for all the in their house.

"I need to stop here. Do you mind?" Luke asked, looking forward towards the gas station.  
Liam shook himself out of his reverie. "No, not at all. Your car run out of gas?"  
But it wasn't so. The pointer on the fuel tank was nowhere near the dreaded E.

"No. I just wanted to get a couple of things. Do you want to come?" Luke asked nodding towards the store.  
"No, I think I will wait here."  
"Okay. I will be quick." He said pulling in and parking the car.

It had been a few minutes after Luke had left when a phone began to ring. The ringtone was unfamiliar but he still patted his jacket pocket before realising his phone was dead anyway. He tried to make out where it was coming from and traced it back to the glove compartment. The key was in, and it opened easily when he turned it.

He found the phone, face down on a bunch of papers ringing away. He reached out towards it, picking it up when the papers caught his eye from the lit up screen of the phone. The light was faint, but there was no mistake about it.

It was his picture. Someone had taken it from a distance but it had been taken today it seemed because he was wearing the same clothes, standing by the side of the road, looking at his watch.  
Liam let go of it when his eyes found another. It was a polaroid of him with Luna and Zaid, taken a few days earlier at the mall. Zayn loved that camera, always kept it close to him in case he wanted to capture a moment. How did that photo end up in a stranger's car?

Blood pounded in his ears, his heart not as much beating as thumping against his chest. Who was Luke? And why was he stalking them? How did he have these photos?

He looked towards the store; Luke was still walking around, looking for something. He had time to figure it out. Liam rummaged through the compartment, desperate for some kind of explanation. If he was going to die tonight, the least he could do was to ensure this guy couldn't hurt his family.

That's when he found it. The photo looked dirty, like it had been through a lot. It was the same photo Liam kept in his wallet. The four of them at the opening for Zayn's art exhibition. He remembered Louis taking the photo, while Liam struggled to keep Luna in his arms. Zayn was laughing at his plight and the photograph had caught him like that-mid laugh, turned towards Liam. It was one of the reasons why he loved the photo so much.

Liam patted his pocket where he kept his wallet- and nothing. Had he dropped it, had he-

There was a knock on his window, and Liam jumped out of his skin. It seemed he had lost track of time because Luke was standing outside his side of the car, expressionless as he stared at the opened glove compartment and then turned towards Liam. For a moment, all he could hear where his deep panting breaths as he stared up at his face, too terrified to even think about what to do next.  
"I can explain," Luke said, his voice muffled as it came through the pulled up windows.  
He reached out to pull open the door, Liam wishing he didn't feel so paralysed with fear that he wasn't able to stop him.

He shrunk away from Luke, as far as he could with the gear poking into his arse, as the door opened. This was how he was going to die then, at a gas station on his way home. Maybe if he screamed- would anyone come to help him? But he needed to save his family, he needed to-

"You don't need to be scared of me," Luke said, not looking at Liam, holding the door open.  
"That's very assuring, thanks." Liam blurted out.  
Luke turned towards him then. There was a strange expression on his face, almost as if... he was apologetic about something?

"This is not how I pictured this going," was all he said in a quiet voice.  
Liam didn't quite know what to say, watching Luke as he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.  
Liam felt a sudden surge of adrenaline wash over him, as the boxing training he had taken years ago took over him, and in moments, he had Luke shoved up against the side of the car.  
"Who the fuck are you? Why do you have pictures of my family?" Liam shook him by the collar of his shirt. "Answer me, damn it!" Now that Liam had overpowered this guy, the fear gave away to rage. Zayn used to say he didn't get riled up easily but when he did, it was terrifying. And there was no better reason for him to lose his cool than seeing his family in danger.

Luke, surprisingly, made no move to stop him, and Liam looked on as his eyes filled up with tears, nose flaring.

"Just give me a second, dad. I can explain."

His let go of Luke's collar in surprise as he heard the word. "What did you say?"

"Let me explain. Please," he added, going by the incredulous expression Liam probably had on his face.

Luke took a moment to gather himself, sniffling and then looked Liam dead in the eyes and said, "You were right. My name is not Luke.” He seemed to hesitate for a bit.  
“It’s Zaid.”

  
There was silence as Liam waited for Luke to laugh at him and say this was all a joke. But he didn't. He stood there, his hands on his hip staring Luke down and Luke held his stare determinedly.

"Is this some kind of joke-"

"Your name was Liam James Payne. You were married to Zain Javadd Malik and you had two kids Luna and," he drew in a sharp breath, "me."

"My son is a baby," Liam wanted to scream and he was barely keeping a hold on himself.  
"He was a baby. Sixteen years ago."  
"Do you know how absolutely ridiculous you sound right now?" Liam spat out. “You really can’t believe the bullshit that you’re spewing.”  
  
"Dad, it's been sixteen years since you came home-"

"Stop calling me that!" Liam thundered. "My son is at home with my husband and my daughter. I don't know the twisted reason you're saying what you're saying, and I don't know how you know all this but please just stop. Alright? Let me go home. "

"You can't. " Luke said, eerily calm.

"Why? Because you won't let me-" Liam stalked towards him angrily.

"Because you are not alive. You have been dead for sixteen years now," Luke was screaming now, his voice quavering.

Liam laughed maniacally. The absurdity of the situation was too much for him; he had no idea how he had managed to get himself tangled up in this mess. He guessed he should have known the moment the boy had agreed so easily to help him out. Maybe he had been waiting for him. Maybe this was all planned.

"That's definitely the craziest thing that you could have said. Tell me, how long have you been missing from the institution that you have escaped from?" Liam snapped at him.

Luke didn't answer, instead went around to the car. Pulled out a backpack from behind the driver's seat and looked through it for a couple of minutes, before coming up with a few old newspapers. Shoved them at Liam.

"Read them. You'll know."

Liam reluctantly took the newspapers from him. It was their local newspaper. His eyes widened as they skimmed over the date. It was tomorrow's newspaper. Or was supposed to be.

No.

There was a picture of him, they had deliberately chosen one where he was smiling.

Father of Two Killed in horrific car crash

No.

He poured over it hungrily, desperately- wanting to stop but unable to.  
It was the same road. His car had broken down and he had hitched a ride.  
That car had been hit by a truck; had rolled over three times and the occupants had been killed instantly.

No no no.

His hands shook as he read the last line.

Survived by a husband and two kids.

Liam let go of the paper, stumbling till his back hit the car and he slid down, head in his hands.  
"What kind of a sick joke is this?" He whispered brokenly. A shadow passed over him as Luke knelt to the ground in front of him.  
"I'm sorry, dad." He said, hesitantly reaching out to pat his shoulder.

"So you really are-" Liam started, not really convinced but the phone started ringing again.

Moments later, Liam looked at the lit up phone screen with the word "Abbu" and a picture of Zayn.   
The memory flashed across his mind, them deciding what their kids would call them. ( " _Abbu," Zayn had said decidedly, tears sparkling in his eyes, his hand on Liam's. That's what he used to call his father and it was clear it meant a lot to him. Liam had smiled and nodded, little Luna babbling away in his arms_ )

He drew in a sharp breath.

Zayn looked older. His hair was cut short and there was a little grey in them and his beard, and lines by his eyes and on his forehead, but the laugh was still the same. His eyes still twinkled, even behind his glasses; his tattoos peeking from beneath the collar of the kurta he had on, some of which were new.   
He was still the most beautiful man Liam had ever set his eyes on.   
Liam was drinking him in, when his eyes fell on the chain around his neck. A ring was looped through it, and even from far away he could tell what it was.  
"Fuck." Liam whispered. He remembered the day he had picked it out. He couldn't find a ring that suited Zayn’s personality, so he had chosen a different kind instead.

The orange eye stared back at him, almost as if staring into his soul.

The phone stopped ringing after a while, the picture of Zayn disappearing as the screen was flung back to darkness. Liam stared at it, wishing he could see him again.

He felt Luke? Zaid's gaze on him, looked up to see him crying, silent as tears made his way over his cheeks.

"Abbu really misses you, you know? He's always so sad whenever October rolls around. We pretend we don't notice his bloodshot eyes sometimes, but yeah. He still waits up for you on Halloween night, falls asleep on the sofa." Zaid whispered between harsh intakes of breath.

Liam stood up, pulled his son into a tight hug, not being able to control his tears himself. It felt surreal. He was supposed to be home by now, with his kids having dinner and kissing them goodnight; when it turned out, he had never really reached home all those years ago.

He pulled back, looking intently at his son's face, looking for anything that seemed familiar. When Liam had left, Zaid had been entirely too young to tell what he would look like and now that he had grown up... Liam realised why he had looked so familiar. 

"You got your nose from me," Liam observed, smiling through his tears," everything else is like your abbu's."

"Abbu says the same thing," Zaid chuckled, his tongue pressed to the back of his front teeth, proving what Liam had said moments earlier.

Liam patted his cheek, grazing his finger over a scar on his forehead, frowning.  
"What happened here?"  
Zaid wouldn't meet his eyes. "It's nothing."  
"Looks like you've inherited your abbu's horrible lying skills too," Liam said sternly. He had a suspicion about it, and Zaid's reluctance to answer him only confirmed it.  
"Just a couple of mean kids at school," Zaid answered, eyes downcast.  
Liam's heart... Technically he didn't have one anymore, but that did nothing to assuage the pain of hearing that his kid had suffered. He knew how it could be, from first hand experience and he had sworn to himself that his kids would never be in the position that he was. He had failed at that; he hadn't been there for his kids when they had needed him.

Zaid rushed to reassure him. "Dad, don't worry about it. Abbu took me to get boxing lessons, said that's... That's what you would have wanted. To stand up for myself, " he said, looking almost proud.  
Of course, of course Zayn would. He had forgotten how fiercely protective Zayn could be.  
"Anyway, want some Pop Rocks?" Zaid held up some packets.  
"That's what you went to get?" Liam laughed.  
"I'm addicted to them. Just listen to the noise they make."  
“We had them when we were kids too, you know?”

They sat on the hood of the car, making faces as the Pop Rocks fizzled on their tongues. They talked, and with every passing moment Liam was let in on how much he had missed. Luna was in college now and a member of the women's soccer team. He could see the Luna he knew in that little crinckle-eyed smile, her brown curls cut short as she posed with her teammates.  
"She has tattoos?" Liam peered closer.  
"Almost a full sleeve now," Zaid informed him," swiping until he finally stopped on a photo.  
It was one of Luna and Zayn together, tongues out, showing off one they got had gotten together.

_Somewhere out there, there's a path that we chos_ e in tiny print across the side of their arms  
Liam's eyes stung but there were no tears. His own tattoo, _Somewhere is a place that nobody knows_ prickled on his skin to make its presence known; almost as if it had finally met it's equal.

"They didn't let me get one though, said I was too young." Zaid complained, swiping past the image.  
"There's still time," Liam attempted a smile. "You are too young."  
"Yeah, yeah I know." Zaid said, rolling his eyes," of course you'd second that thought."

Liam ruffled his hair lovingly, as his eyes flicked to the phone screen again. This time it was the four of them, Zaid looking some years younger than he was now, and Luna with fewer tattoos. Zayn turned towards a person he didn't really recognise. They were both looking at each other in a way that made his stomach drop.

"Who's this?" He asked, dreading the answer.

"Uh. That's Matt. He's... I mean, abbu-" Zaid stuttered over the words, which was telling enough, but Liam was a sucker for pain.

"Are they-together?"

Zaid sighed, fiddling with the buttons on his jacket. "Yeah dad, they married some years ago. You have to know, abbu waited-"

Liam cut him off. He couldn't deny that he was jealous of this Matt guy, envied him like he had never envied anyone before; but isn't this what he would have wanted? For Zayn to be happy? For his kids to be taken care of in his absence?

"Is your abbu happy?" He asked quietly.

Zaid nodded.

"And you? Is he a good father to you and Luna?"

"Yes, dad. He's a great guy, you would have loved him if-" Zaid trailed off.

"That's all that matters then." Liam smiled bravely, even though he didn't feel it at all. "There is nothing more important to me, you know?"

Zaid nodded again.

Liam stood up with a big exhale, the image of Zayn with Matt still burnt across his eyes like a brand, Zaid eyeing his every move. He couldn't lose it in front of his kid.  
  
"How did you find me?" Liam asked after a moment. "How did you know I would be there?"

"I was waiting for you to ask." Zaid answered, already rummaging through the backpack that somehow made its appearance again.

He brought out a journal, an old, bulked up one that looked like it had been used to within an inch of its life. It was stuffed full of all kinds of paper and barely held together by a fraying elastic band.

"So, every year for the past sixteen years- there's been an accident on road, and always on this very night," he started, gesturing for Liam to come and take a look.  
Liam took his place on the hood of the car, leaning closer to Zaid. There were newspaper cuttings from different years stuck to the pages, almost chronologically. He recognised the name of the road, the same one his car had broken down on.

"And the people who survived, always told a similar story. A man who asked for a ride back home because his car wouldn't start."   
Zaid scoffed, "Of course, no one believed them when they tried to say it. They blamed it on concussions and brain injuries, DUIs and what not. Some even got put into hospitals, but yeah, it became quite a local legend. And there are still a lot of theories floating around on the internet."

"It was you, dad. The clothes that they described that man wearing? They matched yours. There were a couple of confusing testimonials though, and I had to dig hard to get to the truth. Hell, I even faked my way into said hospital disguised as a visitor to talk to one of the people who had sworn they had seen you." He gulped, looking up at Liam to deliver the final blow.   
"I showed him your picture, and. And he recognised you, dad. I already had a hunch, the same road and the same day, every single time. It just sealed the deal for me, but I still had some doubt about it."

Liam felt frozen.

"And then I noticed another pattern. The accidents all happened at the same time. Around the time the locals reported the accident happening with you in the car." Zaid drew in a sharp breath.

"Last year, someone who had reached the same conclusion as me, decided to investigate. And that's where the photograph is from. It's a miracle he caught you on camera at all. I was convinced then, I knew I had to help you."

Liam was terrified. Of himself. Of what he had done. Of what he was.

"You mean, I killed those people? I don't even remember their names, their faces, I-" Liam clutched at his hair, horrified.

"No, it wasn't your fault. It's just, it's kind of a curse, let's say," Zaid rushed to reassure him. "and you're caught up in it."

"But people have died?" Liam asked, voice just a whisper.

"Yeah, people have died," Zaid said, looking away.

A thought suddenly occurred to him; a punch to the gut like no other, eyes widening in horror at the realisation.

"But you, you are the one who offered to give me a ride tonight-" Liam stammered, almost stumbling.

He would have to watch his own son die? And it would be because of him?

"I know," Zaid mumbled, not looking up.

"Then why are you here?" Liam wanted to scream, furious at his stupidity. "Answer me, please." He tried to keep a hold on himself, his arms aching to take Zaid by the shoulders and shake him till he answered.

"Did you think I'd like to see my son possibly lose his life because of me, Zaid? I'm talking to you."

Zaid looked up then; eyes full of tears, immediately making Liam feel guilty. He was taken back to the time Zaid would cry all night, and they were so unused to that because Luna had been such a quiet baby. He remembered their frantic efforts to stop him from crying- the tug on the heartstrings to see your own child hurting and feeling helpless for not being able to help them. That's the most useless he had ever felt as a parent. Until now. Liam felt that same helplessness overwhelm him.

"I just wanted to help you, dad." Zaid said voice wet with tears. "It's been sixteen years. It's time for you to get some rest."

Liam shook his head, blinking back tears that would never come. He rushed to hug him, pulled him close to his chest.

"You didn't need to do it, you know. I can't see you get hurt. I just can't." Liam looked up to the sky, praying for mercy that he never got himself.

"I won't, dad," Zaid mumbled against his chest. "We will figure out a way."

"Does Zayn know you're here? Does he know about-"

"I didn't tell him. I don't know how he would have taken the news," Zaid continued, "I just thought it was unfair- He was happy, or at least he was trying to be. I couldn't-"

"You did the right thing, son. Don't worry about it." Liam pulled back, taking a long look at him.

"Now I just need to pick up the slack, be a good dad, and send you home safely to your abbu. If he ever got the drift that I was somehow responsible for letting you get hurt, he would follow me back to wherever I am supposed to go."

Zaid chuckled, rubbing at his eyes. "Yes, he would."

Liam smiled back at him, thumping his back.

"And dad?"

"Hmm."

"You were the best father. Abbu always used to gush about what a hands-on father you were, he just couldn't stop. Luna used to call you her favourite superhero. I was so jealous that she got to spend time with you, remember you. And all I had were photographs and stories," Zaid laughed bitterly, “they used to say we were lucky to have you in our lives for however short amount of time we had you." He sighed. "And they really were right."  
Liam didn’t really know what to say to that.

"Hey. Zaid, look at me. I love you okay? And I am always there with you. Don't forget that. And don't do anything you don't want me to know about. Or Santa is going to gear from me." Liam laughed at Zaid's expression.

"Dad," Zaid groaned, drawing the syllables out. "I'm not a kid anymore."

Liam ruffled his hair.

Liam thought about himself. Waiting for sixteen years to go home to his husband and kids. He would have given anything to have reached home safely that night, to be there for everything that had been robbed from him.  
  
"I think I know what we need to do."

* * *

  
"Don't worry Zee, he'll be back."

Zayn didn't move from the window, shaking his head.

"I'm going to kill him. He said he'd be back by 8..."

Zayn felt his arms wrap around his middle, resting his head back on Matt’s chest.

"I'll give him a really strict talking to, don't worry,” Matt whispered.

Zayn scoffed at that.  
The last time he had tried to be 'strict' with the children, they had succeeded at guilt-tripping him into buying them ice cream.

"You know why I worry," Zayn sighed, the memories from all those years ago; the frightful night that still refused to leave his nightmares, flaring up again as if the wound was still brand new. He squeezed his eyes shut against them; he couldn't let them overwhelm.

"Is he still not back?" Luna asked, a half-eaten pizza slice in one hand. "I'm going to kill him, why do we have to wait for him again? Also ew." She added spotting them together.

Zayn laughed, reaching up to kiss Matt just to tease her, while she pretended to gag.

"Anna has class tomorrow, she can't say much-"Luna began to complain, cut off by the person in question almost immediately.

"Don't worry about that, Mr. Malik. I am perfectly content with waiting," Anna's voice drifted from the table. "And Luna has started on her food anyway, so I don't know what she's complaining about."

Zayn laughed at that, shaking his head at their banter.

"He's here." Announced, but it was unnecessary as the car could be heard houses away. Zayn felt relief wash over him, immediately schooling his expression into one of disapproval as the car pulled up. Zaid seemed to take his own sweet time walking up the driveway, the door opening after what seemed like ages.

"Where were you? Have you looked at the time?" He scolded as he finally entered.

"Your abbu was very worried about you. And so was I," Matt said, crossing his arms in front of him to look intimidating but failing. The stern look on his face struggled to keep itself on and Zayn almost laughed.  
Zayn was taken by surprise as Zaid wrapped him up in a hug, burying his face in Zayn's chest. He and Matt shared a look, Zayn rubbing Zaid’s back to comfort him. Luna looked like she was about to say something snarky, but Matt gently shook his head to dissuade her, walking over to the table to warm dinner up again.

When Zaid finally took a step back, it was clear he was crying.

"You okay, jaan?" Zayn asked him, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Zaid mumbled rubbing at his eyes furiously, but not really looking up at him.  
He really did get Zayn’s inability to lie properly.

"Get your yourself cleaned up. Dinner's ready." Zayn said, ruffling his hair. "Love you."

"Love you too, Abbu," Zaid said as he ran up the stairs, waving at Anna before he disappeared upstairs.

"What's up with you?" He asked Luna, who was at the window now, staring outside.

"Nothing, I think I just saw someone in the car-" She shook her head and moved away.  
Zayn took her place. The houses on their block were decked up in their Halloween get ups. Most people were already done with trick or treating, some were making way back to their houses.

Zayn's eyes teared up, his fingers subconsciously tracing the tattoo on his hand.   
So much had changed, yet so much still remained the same. Children had grown up, moved away. Flowers had bloomed, withered and died and bloomed again. But the pain remained, hidden in all those little things, as unchanging as inevitability itself.

Somewhere out there, somewhere in a universe that wasn't theirs, Zayn's Liam had come home to him all those years ago. They had raised their kids together and maybe in that universe, Liam was at the dining table right now making horrible dad jokes that only Zaid laughed at and possibly scaring away their future daughter-in-law and any moment now, he would call Zayn's name and-  
He was grateful for Matt, he really was. He loved Zaid and Luna like his own children, loved Zayn. Zayn respected him because he had never tried to replace Liam, but only tried to make a place for himself in Zayn's heart.

And so he had; but the part that yearned for Liam still ached and would always do so, especially today; like a gaping wound patched up in haste but never really healing. No amount of time would be enough for it to heal. 

Zayn just hoped wherever Liam was, he was proud of him, proud of them; liked to think he was looking over them.

"Dinner's served," Matt called out, and it was a harsh jolt back to reality for Zayn. He wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes, and turned just as the hand of the clock slowly inched towards a quarter past ten, so he didn't see the figure standing in the shadows fade into the night with a shimmer.

**Author's Note:**

> Please don't read if you don't like to read stories with a major character death or if mentions of death are triggering for you!  
> This is loosely based off of a Supernaturnal episode I watched once, titled Roadkill (Season 2, Episode 16).


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